cineturismo, location, cinema, turismo, film tourism, movie tour, Milano, Milan, Milanoir, case a ringhiera, ringhiera, tram, Porta ticinese, Porta Cicca, Navigli, Naviglio Pavese, Piazza Vetra, San Lorenzo, Sant'Eustorgio, Pirellone, Pirelli, grattacielo, Stazione, Station, Milano Centrale, Central Station, Duomo, Cathedral , Galleria, Vittorio Emanuele, Lombardia, Lombardy

The Seventies and “Milanoir”

Milan, the Seventies. Piero has been wrongly accused and is jailed. When he is released and finally sees the city’s grey sky again, his only goal is to get revenge on those who framed him: Ray-Bans firmly in place, a red leather jacket, a mop of tousled locks and grasping a Beretta, seated on a brand new red Vespa. Milan is a labyrinth of dark, sketchy looking streets and Piero is going to raze them all.
The Milan of Milanoir is greying and rough, a place where no-one hesitates to shoot adversaries in the face. Yet, hidden beyond beneath the violence and revenge, despite it all, the beauty of the city still manages to be breath-taking. So, let’s do this: we’ll follow the police commissioner tracking Piero. This could be an excellent opportunity for a trip around the city. We’ll take the siren off the car and lower the headlights, as we follow the wake of blood and bullets into the Milanese night.

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Amidst typical houses of Milan The ancient port and the famous Navigli Clues amidst the columns The end of the line

Milan

Amidst typical houses of Milan

This must have been one of the first places visited by Piero. We hear rumours that he was looking for one of his targets, the reason for this long trail of fallen henchmen. These are the typical case a ringhiera of Milan, their shared walkways overlooking an inner courtyard. On a night like this these are sketchy places, ones that also emanate a strong sense of daily lives and habits: while commissioner goes in, we can stay here outside observing the laundry hung out to dry, the plant pots overlooking the courtyard and the open windows which allow glimpses of the interior. It is easy to imagine being here during the day, with Patty Pravo’s music on the radio for someone preparing a meal behind one of these windows, spreading out into the courtyard where children are playing soccer. There is so much life to see here, but the commissioner has found a clue or two and jumps back into the car.

The ancient port and the famous Navigli

Another spot in the city that Piero must have visited in his search for revenge: the tram deposit in via Pietro Custodi. This is only a few steps from Porta Ticinese, or Porta Cicca as it is known round here. The place is very big, and it will be hard for the commissioner to find clues quickly. While he looks around, let’s take a better look at these splendid wagons: some will have a multitude of stories to tell and, who knows, there could be some even older pieces if we look around further. If there’s any time left, we can take a walk around Porta Ticinese: one of the six main gates of the city, which once opened onto the road that lead to Pavia. We can walk over to the columns but it appears that the commissioner has got back in his car. We better get a move on.
Well, Piero certainly came by here on his Vespa: he must have raced down Naviglio Pavese endangering the lives of passers-by. Although the noise of the shootout still trembles in the air, the pale lights on the canal create a poetic atmosphere: in the mornings here, food is sold on the streets, while in the evenings there is nightlife, great bars, some on docked ferries, and the chatter of people is accompanied by the sound of water lapping the canal walls. This atmosphere is enchanting, but it is time to move on again.

Clues amidst the columns

Following the trail of clues we reach Piazza Vetra. There is a lovely park here and Piero must have driven past the Columns of San Lorenzo to go inside the Basilica of San Lorenzo Maggiore. This is one of the most ancient churches in the city, its chapels house paintings and sculptures of great value. I don’t know much about architecture, but if you want to go inside I’ll wait out here and take a stroll in the Park of the Basiliche. Heading towards Porta Ticinese, one comes across the Basilica di Sant’Eustorgio. If you like this kind of thing, I suggest you go in, although perhaps do that tomorrow as I don’t think there’s time this evening, here’s the commissioner returning. Piero must have taken the metro and headed over to the Pirellone. We’ll drive over by car, but you could take a look at underground Milan: what kind of city tour would it be without a trip on the metro? For a long time, the Pirelli building was one of the tallest buildings in Europe. Today it houses the offices of the regional government and is one of the symbols of the city: on its spire a replica of the Madonnina of the Cathedral, placed there in sign of respect for it was once believed that no building should be taller than the Cathedral and the Pirellone easily towers over it. There’s no time to go in, the commissioner says we must head to the Cathedral, apparently the last destination on Piero’s revenge list. We can detour for a moment for a glimpse of Milan Central Station, but then we must follow the trail.

The end of the line

We couldn’t help but end our investigation here, in the Cathedral of Milan. Despite blazing his way through, Piero was unable to blemish the beauty of the building or the piazza outside. We’ll let the commissioner do his rounds to gather clues and traces for the case. What is there to say about the Cathedral? It practically speaks for itself. Although I’ve never been a great lover of churches, this one would take a whole day just to walk around outside, with all its Gothic gargoyles and statues. Go inside if you want. I think that Piero’s rampage has ended and the commissioner will need some time here! I’ll wait for you nearby, in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. The amount of history and beauty in just 500m here is inebriating. I’m going to sit down for a moment, it has been a long night. Piero can wait a minute or two.

The Seventies and “Milanoir”

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Milan

Amidst typical houses of Milan

Naviglio Pavese – Milan

The ancient port and the famous Navigli

Stazione centrale – Milan

Clues amidst the columns

Duomo di Milano

The end of the line